Pokerstars Sued by Upset Winning Player

Natalie Teltscher, one of the winners of PokerStars 2007 World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) has filed a lawsuit against the company which has refused to issue a $1.2 million prize over an alleged breach of tournament conditions. The case is currently proceeding at the Isle of Man between the enormous company and the angry plaintiff.

The basis of PokerStar’s case against Teltscher stems from her decision to have a third-party play the entire tournament through her account. The company claims that this alone constitutes a failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the event thereby forcing a forfeit of the prize money. Teltscher plays under the screen name “the VOid” and this account was one of two left at the end of the 2008 WCOOP’s No Limits Hold ‘Em Main Event. The final contestants agreed to split the jackpot and ceased play which would have left the money in Teltscher’s hands had she actually been the one at the computer all along.

PokerStars lawyers contest that Teltscher never actually legally entered or played in the tournament and sees this as suitable grounds for dismissing the monetary reward outright. The most recent development in the lawsuit saw Deemster David Doyle adjourn the case stating that the matter needed to be fully addressed via contractual evidence before any verdict could be leveled.